Visit of students from the National University of Public Service (Budapest)

On 17 November 2022, the students enrolled in the Master program on International Water Governance and Water Diplomacy at the National University of Public Service (Budapest) paid a visit to the Secretariat of the Danube Commission. At the initiative of Dr. Dejan Komatina, professor at the NUPS teaching Transboundary Water Cooperation in the Danube Basin, this study visit at the DC headquarters is organized for the second year. The students were given a general presentation of the organization’s activities, structure and responsibilities, as well as a brief historical overview of the international institutions that have had the river Danube as their scope.

Councilors of the Commission presented the current activities of the organization, with a focus on the participation of the Danube Commission in the projects funded by the European Union (Platina3, Grant II and Grant III). The interaction of the DC with other regional organizations, with a focus on the framework provided by the Joint Statement initiative was also discussed. For a more applied perspective, the visitors were introduced to the interactive map of the Danube – hydrology issues, waste collection points and other topics.

During the interactive discussions, the students showed interest in issues such as the development of navigation, fairway maintenance, emissions reduction, fleet modernization, impact of climate change on Danube navigation, etc.

Dr. Dejan Komatina, supervisor of the student group, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to be welcomed again by the DC in order for the students to gain an insight into the activities of inland navigation carried out by the Commission and to talk directly to the experts of the organization.